What can I do Myself?
There are different ways of handling the problem. The first thing you should do is to find out which type of urinary incontinence you suffer from.
You can use the overview below to find out whether you suffer from an overactive bladder or have trouble with emptying your bladder.
| Overactive bladder | Trouble with emptying the bladder | |
| When you have to go - it has to be now | yes | no |
| I can reach the toilet in time | no | yes |
| I usally have to use the toilet more thn 8 times a day | yes | no |
| During the night I have to urinate more than two times | yes | no |
| I have a slow tream of urine | no | yes |
| I have to squeeze the urine out | no | yes |
| I cannot empty the bladder completely | no | yes |
It is important to know which type of urinary incontinence you suffer from – because it determines what you have to do about it.
1) Trouble with emptying the bladder
Slow stream of urine, a wait before urination begins, the necessity of squeezing the urine out by using the abdominals together with the feeling of not being able to empty the bladder completely.
Most men who have trouble with emptying the bladder have experienced that there it varies a lot how bothered they are – it can shift from day to day.
In some periods they are very troubled and in others they barely feel their urinary incontinence. An explanation for these variations is the variation in the amount of fluid you intake. Therefore it is a good idea to keep a fluid and urination table.
Fluid and urination table
When the table is filled over the course of three days, a pattern often emerges. You may be especially troubled by your urinary incontinence if you have drunk particularly much or perhaps just particularly much before bedtime. A filled out fluid and urination table can help create an overview over your urinary incontinence and also give you an opportunity to change your drinking pattern.
In the fluid and urination table you note every time you drink during the day. The amount is given in ml. For example, a beer contains 350 ml, a soda in a plastic bottle 500 ml and a large soda in a plastic bottle 1500 ml. a cup of coffee is normally 150 ml.
2) Overactive bladder
Sudden urge to urination where you may not reach the toilet in time and frequent urination.
You can do something about an overactive bladder through exercising your bladder and adjustment of drinking habits.
Exercising your bladder
Because of the fear of involuntary urination you seek to urinate every time you can. When you do this your bladder gets used to urinate frequently and that worsens the problem. By exercising your bladder you can achieve fewer urinations. Exercising your bladder consists of gradually training your bladder to last longer before it has to empty. Practically, it may for example be done by urinating once every other hour during the day on the first week. The week after you urinate every second and a half hour and so on – until you reach three hour between each urination. If you feel the urge to urinate outside the schedule you should sit down or stand still and squeeze the pelvic floor.
It is important that the bladder is completely emptied every time you go to the bathroom. You make sure of that by first urinating then waiting a few seconds and then try to urinate again. This is repeated once more – so a total of three times urination every time you visit the toilet. In that way the bladder becomes accustomed to emptying completely every time.
Adjusting your drinking habits
Adjusting your drinking habits can also lessen your troubles. If you have trouble holding water during the night it is a good idea not to drink after 6 pm. Drink approximately one and a half litre fluid a day – this covers the body’s needs. You can create an overview over your drinking habits by keeping a fluid and urination table.
If you are taking diuretics, you should take it in the morning. Furthermore, there is some medication that can worsen an overactive bladder. If you suspect this, talk to your doctor about it.
3) A mixture of the two first
Both an overactive bladder and trouble with emptying the bladder. The treatment should be directed against the type you are most bothered by.
4) Dripping after urination
Dripping after urination.
Dripping after urination is easy to treat. When you have finished urination, you take two fingers around the penis, at the root. Then you squeeze the penis and lead the fingers forward to the tip. You can preferably repeat a few times – until you cannot squeeze more urine out of the pocket.